Anyone Try Shinola Journals Yet?

[Bill]

Shinola is a luxury brand marketed as a leader in the renaissance of Detroit and US manufacturing. My travels take me near several of their regular and outlet stores so I happened on their journals.

 

I tried a small hard linen journal (ruled, acid-free paper, hand-sewn, etc.). I expected it to be like many other brands. So I wrote only on one side of a page as is my custom with these things. The paper seemed absorbent enough and quick drying.

 

That is until I noticed there was almost no bleed through! So now I am filling both sides of the pages with different nibs and inks. So far, I am impressed. I will start on the other one I have -- a medium hard (5.25 x 8.25) tomorrow which appears to have the same 60 lb. paper. Later this week I'll hit one of the stores and try out the soft and/or paper journals and maybe do a real review.

 

Has anyone else tried these yet?

 

Bill

[JakobS]

I bought a medium hard linen Shinola two years ago, and found it to feather a little with Diamine Apple Glory, KWZ IG Aztec Gold, KWZ IG Tourqouise, KWZ Honey (spread on verge of feathering), Diamine Wagner, Diamine Mozart, Pelikan Black, and Diamine Schubert. A TWSBI Eco with a medium nib was used for Apple Glory, and Mozart, a 1.1mm Eco for Shubert, Wagner, and Honey, a ASA Maya eyedropper with medium nib for KWZ IG Tourqouise, a Sheaffer Craftsman with a medium nib for the KWZ IG Aztec Gold. KWZ IG Tourqouise, and Diamine Mozart bledthough with minor spots onto the back of the page, otherwise no bleedthrough.

 

I prefer Leuchtturm notebooks in this size and style over the Shinola, the paper quality appears a little more consistent within each page, but am a little surprised that my writing looks a little better than I remember in the Shinola...

Edited June 25, 2018 by JakobS

[inkstainedruth]

There's an art store inPittsburgh that carries Shinola journals, and I had been wondering what they were like (the store also sells Rhodia and Leuchtturm). They're not cheap, though, for the number of pages.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bill]

So I tried over a dozen pens on a page of the medium journal and it appears to be no more resistant to bleed through as any other popular notebook of its type. I'm not sure why the results would be different with the same pens and ink. It MAY have to do with the way I use them rather than inconsistencies in the paper. The medium was placed flat on a desk. The small notebook was held in my hand while I cycled through the pens. It is possible I don't press as hard in that circumstance. I did brief test to try to verify that but the results were mixed. I stop at their Michigan outlet store and get a couple more of the small notebooks in an apparently discontinued "hickory" color so we'll see. By the way, that store also had journals with plain pages in medium and a squareish sketchbook size.

[Bookman]

Here is my mini-review of some Shinola kraft notebooks, including photos.

[77kath]

I used one for about a year. The paper quality was inferior to Leuchterm, I think. My entries bled, and with some pens and inks feathered on one side of the page. That may be a quality control issue.

[Flaxmoore]

The medium I had was brought mostly out of local loyalty, and let me down pretty hard. The only combo I found that wouldn't feather was a Hero accounting nib (so, EF) with Diamine Registrar's. Anything broader or wetter feathered and bled through terribly. It was worse than Moleskine, which is saying something.

 

They show up on the reddit FP sub every so often, and it seems they confuse weight with being FP friendly- the paper is 90gsm, sure, but it feathers and bleeds as much as 45gsm newspaper.

[MHBru]

I have a set of two that my wife got at a company meeting. They are still in the plastic wrapper as i anticipate them being not as nice as my rhodia or Clairefontaine notebooks. I may get to them someday.

[FOUR X FOUR]

My shinola notebook fell apart

[Charles Rice]

Hmm, named after a shoe polish? Of course all I can think of is "you don't know s---- from Shinola"

[MHBru]

I have a set of two that my wife got at a company meeting. They are still in the plastic wrapper as i anticipate them being not as nice as my rhodia or Clairefontaine notebooks. I may get to them someday.

I tried them and put it back after about two days. Very rough with terrible feathering from a fine nib. A hard no except for ball point

[pen2paper]

Phone Shinola with your candid review & suggestions from fountain pen usage perspective.

1-844-744-6652

 

Note we're continually reviewing sharing products.

 

My own subtle reminder that the USA manufacture if Whitelines products are exceptional.

Greatly improved over original unique SE product.

Two sided use for most pens/inks, including metallic Sharpie. Now available at some Staples stores.

Not slick like some premium papers, but the smooth slightly toothy feel is preferred by some of us.

Price modest to competitive.

 

If Shinola included Whitelines as an option...